The Magnolia Story

by Chip Gaines

There is always peace when I finally decide to obey that voice. Although I may wrestle with him at first like a little kid, in the end I always know that he knows best.

But God has a funny way of bringing things back the way only he can do.

I ever needed proof that I should trust God with my dreams, this was certainly it. He turned my little dream, my mustard seed of faith, into all this.

God delivered on the promise of making my dreams come true in ways that were bigger than I ever imagined.

The best part of all of this growth is that we’ve been able to channel it right back into the town we love.

And as I’ve learned, when I speak my dreams out loud to Chip—and to God—those dreams have a way of becoming attainable.

Life changes quickly. Overnight, your whole world can change.

And in this season we’re in now, which is by far the busiest season of our lives, the changes that have happened are things no one can prepare for.

I’m an introvert by nature. Yet now, everywhere I go, people seem to know me and come up to me and want to...

Chip and I both work hard. We continue to make mistakes, and these days we work even harder to learn from them and get better. If I had planned my life, it never would have ended up like this. So maybe it’s kind of fun not to plan. Maybe it’s more fun just to see where life takes you. After all, we’re living proof that sometimes even the messiest stuff and the biggest mistakes can take you someplace wonderful.

And no, the dream isn’t about fame and fortune. For me, the dream is that I get to wake up every morning and do what I love with the ones I love.

There’s something about doing things the way our ancestors used to do them that kind of puts your heart back into the rhythm of this thing called life. It’s why I think cooking for my family is important. It’s why I love making things with my hands, designing with my hands, and gardening with my hands.

It was all trial and error and figuring things out. And sometimes you’ve got to try something outside of your comfort zone to figure out what it is that you truly love.

We found our way to this place we love through all sorts of twists and turns and bumps and forks in the road. But we’re here.

If we’re trying to push anything, it’s the hope that there’s contentment in the journey.

Go and find what it is that inspires you, go and find what it is that you love, and go do that until it hurts. Don’t quit, and don’t give up. The reward is just around the corner. And in times of doubt or times of joy, listen for that still, small voice. Know that God has been there from the beginning—and he will be there until . . . The End.

“Let’s enjoy it. It’s going to take a little longer, but let’s just have fun getting there.”

Our number one priority is our family, our home, our children.

There is a piece of history that we all kind of long to go back to. A simpler time.

“There’s nothing special about y’all. I think the idea is that you’re normal. When people watch you they literally think, I could go drink a beer with that guy. I could go hang out with that couple. They look fun. You know? Sort of everybody’s best friend. The real breakdown of that is the idea that we’re not doing anything drastic. It’s pretty simple, almost . . . girl-next-door kind of concepts.

People don’t realize what it is that makes them tick. It’s like the older you get, hurry up and figure that out, because you’re gonna live a more fulfilling life once you figure out what it is that really inspires you.

It’s also like, don’t worry about it. Don’t be so freaked out that what inspires you isn’t what inspires your eight buddies that are sitting next to you.

It’s better to just own it. Love what you love.

think as a society, we’re all scared to stick with our gut because we wonder, What are people gonna think? Am I gonna look like the oddball? Well, those oddballs are the people that typically change the world—the ones that are going with their gut and not going with the next trend.

It’s just more the idea of finding what it is you love and what inspires you, and stick with it.

Times have changed. The world is much more open to new ideas now. I think it’s not really about looking out and around anymore to see what trends to follow. It’s more about honing in on who you are. I think when you find that place, that gut, whether it be your style, whether it be your lifestyle, that’s where you start finding life, because it’s you, it’s not the masses.